Dreadnought - Building Realms

You'd be tempted to think "this band sounds a mile high", and in Dreadnought's case you'd be right.The race for most unclassifiable - but utterly compelling - band of 2015 continues as the Colorado quartet known as Dreadnought releases its sophomore effort, Building Realms. There are truly some amazing artists out there these days that manage to blend different genres into something that's actually listenable, and this band does that with aplomb. With influences running the gamut from classic prog rock and funk to post rock to black metal to freakin' Latin jazz, its members play multiple instruments beyond traditional rock music including flute, saxophone, and mandolin.

Another curve gets thrown at you as you discover that the two women in the band sing the vocals including some death metal growl. It's predictable, sure, for people to wonder "how the hell does all of this fit together and not sound like a bunch of bands tripping with their gear and crashing down a flight of stairs?" And yet what might seem like a situation ripe for spilling the banks of restraint actually works like most traditional old school progressive bands with long, trippy jams (almost every song on the album is at least 10 minutes) punctuated with folky, plainsong harmonies and pensive shoegazing. It's pretty good stuff.

The Bottom Line: Colorado may seem like the kind of place that would turn out psychedlic bands like pot brownies, but it's a genuinely pleasant surprise to find one so satisfyingly innovative. Looking for something like progressive shoegaze metal? This might be the ticket.

Tracks To Help Hotbox Your Way Through An Epic Roadtrip: Odyssey, Minuet De Lune, and Bridging Realms

- Genghis remembers some pretty righteous road trips back in the day...